Roger Passer, age 86 of Wells, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2007, at Good Samaritan Care Center in Albert Lea. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Wells.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells and one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Pastor Gerald Giese and Pastor Don Rose will officiate.

Burial will be in Rice Lake Cemetery in Foster Township.

Roger Herbert Passer was born Dec. 10, 1920, in Foster Township, Faribault County, the son of Samuel B. and Marie (Klingbeil) Passer. He attended School District 112 in Foster Township and took accordion lessons from Henry Dehn of Albert Lea. Roger farmed and simultaneously developed a musical career. In 1981 he retired from his whole hog operation, and quit crop farming in 1989. His career in music began with a button accordion at the age of 12. He got his first keyboard accordion at age 16 and played for many local events and then with a small combo.

He was in the Mansfield Accordion Band from 1941 to 1953. Roger, and the combo group he was a part of, often appeared on Channel 12, &8220;Bandwagon&8221; TV show. After other members of the group retired he added the Electronic Keyboard and continued by himself. The past 13 years Roger wintered in Mesa, Ariz., playing for many functions and events. He started recording in 1983 and now has seven cassettes and three CDs. Beside his love for music, Roger enjoyed swimming, boating, photography, and building and machinery restoration. The last few years he has been raising gladiolus flowers, sweet corn, watermelons, and pumpkins, all of which he shared with neighbors and friends.

Roger was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church as well as the Albert Lea Elks, Eagles and Moose Clubs.

He is survived by: two sisters, Mildred Meyer of Stewartville and Alice (husband Orville) Goemann of Bricelyn; nephews, Darryl (Rosemarie) Meyer of Tampa, Fla., Lowell (Sharon) Meyer of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Warren (Eileen) Meyer of Rapid City, S.D., Blaine (Deborah) Meyer of Folsum, Calif., Gerri (Jeanne) Meyer of Owatonna, Rick (Julie) Goemann of Kiester, Orlin (Sandy) Goemann of Minneapolis, Cary (Heidi) Goemann of Wells, and Joel Goemann (special friend Angela Haack) of Bricelyn; foster nieces Lana (Randy) Utzka of Walters and Lisa (Keith) Becker of Arlington; and many grand-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother-in-law, Orville G. Meyer.